43 People Share Their Worst Christmas Gifts That Still Make Them Cringe Years Later

A “self-improvement” gift you absolutely did not ask for.

Like deodorant, weight-loss stuff, anti-aging cream, or a book that’s basically saying “here’s what’s wrong with you.” Wrapped up with a smile like it’s thoughtful 😭

Nothing kills Christmas vibes faster than opening a present and realizing it was a **subtle critique**, not a gift.

Once my wife received a literal soap kit from her aunt and basically you could make your own soap to use or whatever... however when we opened it up it literally was already half used and it was kinda gross so she tossed it out. Like talk about a cheapskate.

A guy I knew in college wanted to get his girlfriend something he knew she'd use, so he looked in her bathroom, saw what kind of shampoo she used, and bought her 10 bottles of it!

He was really sweet and was actually trying to get a good gift, but the execution was poorly done. The gift was not appreciated way he thought it'd be.

My aunt gave me a subscription to Children's Digest when I was 9 or 10 and kept renewing it every Christmas until I was 20.

This was around 2001. I used to beg my parents to never buy me clothes for Christmas. Usually they’d get me XL or XXL shirts even though I was a medium.

One Christmas it all came to a head when they got me a leather button up collared shirt. My face said it all. Like I didn’t even know such a thing existed. I’ve never seen one before and never seen one since.

My mom said if I didn’t like something I should say so and they can return it. For this gift I had to say something.

I was then told I was ungrateful and ruined Christmas.

They still bring it up and the shirt hangs in their closet.

Muhammad Ali Monopoly. I’m not into sports, let alone boxing and already had a Monopoly set. This was from my parents in my late 20s.

My uncle gave his wife toilet paper as a gift… (to be fair was during Covid lol).

My husband gave me a small wrapped tube one year. It was a burts bees chapstick. The next year I got a single blue and white bowl.

Gifts my mother has given me for Xmas:

A barbie doll when I was 16. Because I was "difficult to buy for", code for "I spent £500 on your brother,"

A pile of cheap keyrings so I could start my keyring collection, despite never expressing any interest in collecting keyrings.

Clothes in her size, favourite colour and frumpish style. In the hope I'd grow into them. The only way I would, is if I grew sideways.

The one time she cared:

An aunt had attempted to gift me one of those dolls that peed itself. I was four years old and my mother had realized I already hated that gendered stuff. It was left behind at that aunt's house. My brother was born a few months later.

I was once forced to participate in a Secret Santa. We were asked to sign up, I didn't but my name was added anyway. £5 minimum spend was the requirement. I gave a £5 gift card for a clothing store located near the office. I received a mug with the £2 price still on.

My dad had an allergy to mushrooms. He got a second-hand book on mushroom foraging in a secret santa.

An ex bf once gifted me a giant bottle of midori sour. I don’t drink. In fact, I despise alcohol.

A few years ago my mother-in-law bought everyone in the family the same gift: UV phone cleaners. They were the size of a toaster and were supposed to go on your bedside table. They were promptly returned to Bed, Bath, and Beyond...it ended up leading to a bunch of family drama.

I wear a size medium, I am a very average sized woman. My mother in law went to the ”big ladies” department and bought me an XXL sweater. Her one daughter gave me the same personalized tote bag two years in a row; her other daughter gave me the same kitchen appliance two years in a row. Thank god I don’t have to celebrate christmas with these people anymore!

Family on my dad's side gave me a cheap box of chocolates. They were expired by a year. They only visit to ask my dad for money anyway.

Another year my family were collectively gifted a packet of Christmas themed napkins from the same relative. My dad gives each of her kids €50 cash for birthdays and Christmas.

Basically no one on my dad's side knows my age, what I'm doing in life or anything about me. I never really got cards or acknowledgements for birthdays from them. That was always upsetting as a kid.

I used to visit those relatives every 2 weeks until I got to an age where I refused because they were struggling to remember my name even though I was visiting them for years.

My mom's side is better but once I was given earrings from my godfather and his wife.

I have never had my ears pierced. I thanked them for the gift and they starting insisting I put them on, I said my ears aren't pierced. She said oh they were before. I said no.

I sent a follow up text thanking them but I heard that they thought I was ungrateful for them and that I was aggressive. Sorry I didn't stick them into my ears I guess.

My grandma once gave me a red crocheted swan. It was made from that nylon ribbon stuff they used to make everything from in the 1950s. You could lift a wing on each side. Under the wing was a cavity where you could put a mothball. It stunk of mothballs. I was 9.

Not on a holiday, I got a sweater from my mom that had “so many books, so little time” on the front when I was about ten years old. Great sweater, loved it. My dad (they were divorced) got me an identical sweater for Christmas “because you like that one so much”.

We used to have some step relatives who would give us the worst gifts. We didn’t really know them but would try to get them something generically nice like a box of decent chocolates. They gifted us, on two different years:

1. A home fragrance kit that had clearly come from one of those discount stores. They left the price label on so we could see it cost £4.99

2. Some nasty Christmas tree ornaments, “wrapped up” in a black bin liner. I couldn’t decide if these had come from a charity shop, been cleared out of their loft, or literally foraged from a bin

Thankfully we don’t have to deal with those people any more.

At the height of puberty angst as a pudgy kid, my grandmother gave me clothes that were wildly too small. Not great for the ego when the world at the time was already pushing the heroine-chic look.

A color changing mug that turns out to be a giveaway from someone else's birthday 😂.

A collage of photos of the giftee. The giftee has depression, self esteem issues, self loathing.

Basically this guy hates himself and was given a collection of photos of the person he hates the most as a gift. Even if the gift was given with good intentions, to say he was disappointed is an understatement.

My ex wife gave me dish brushes for mothers day one year 🫠 claimed my 4 year old son picked them out.